Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles, garments, and the like



Jan. 1, 1935. G wQLFF APPARATUS FOR- CHEMICALLY CLEANING FABRICS, TEXTILES, GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Flled Sept 15 1932 INVENTQR BY caonc WOLFF' [n w ATTORNEY- Patented Jan.- 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR CHEMICALLY CLEANING ABRICS, TEXTILES,. GARM ENTS, AND

THELIKE Georg Wolff, Munich, Germany, assignor to Dr.

Alexander Wacker Gesellschaft fiir Elektrochemische Industrle, G. m. b. He, Munich, Germany, a corporation Applicatioril September 13, 1932, Serial No. 632,947

Germany March 4,

7 Claims.

particularly to accelerate the evaporation of the solvent and the drying of the articles in the apparatus after cleaning.

Washing machines of the type referred to usually consist of a perforated drum containing the articles to be cleaned and rotating in a closed casing which is partially filled with a volatile solvent such as benzine, ethylene trichloride, carbon tetrachloride or the like, or ethylene perchloride may be used according to my copending application Serial No. 632,953, filed September In the modern construction and use of such washing machines the cleaning operation is followed by drying the articles to be cleaned within the machine by centrifuging or by blowing hot air through from a suitable ventilator. In order to recover the solvent the hot air leaving the machine is passed through a cooler in which the vapor of the solventis largely condensed. The air is afterwards reheated and returned to the machine so that it circulates continuously.

When the hot air is introduced into the casing of the machine at any one place and is discharged at another place, as is conventional, it passes around the slowly rotating washing drum. This air heats the drum so that the volatile solvent which is still contained in the articles is evaporated. The vapors of the solvent thus produced pass through the perforated wall of the drum and are carried along by, the stream of air. This process takes a long time to dry' the articles.

I have found that the time required for drying can be, materially reduced if. the current-of hot air is made to enter into the interior of the washing drum and to pass directly over the articles contained therein as this accelerates the evaporation of the solvent. According to my invention this is accomplished by introducing the ,stream of air directly into the drum (instead of into the channel intermediate the drum and casing) and substantially limiting the discharge to a main discharge area of the drum, wall. This arranged to limit the discharge and/or circulation of the drying medium in the channel intermediate the drum and casing, and serves as a terminal for the direct course of the air through the drum.

The usual perforations now serve chiefly as a drain for the solvent residue and have no other useful function.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. I is a longitudinal section and Fig. II a transverse section through a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. III is a longitudinal section and Fig. IV a transverse section of a modified machine having agrotatable drum divided into a plurality of compartments. v

The washing machine shown in Figs. I and II has a closed casing 1 containinga receptacle or rotatable drum 2. The two ends and the cylindrical wall of the drum are preferably made of perforated sheet metal. Hot air is blown by a suitable ventilator through pipes 3 at both ends of thecasing, and is discharged through pipe 4 arranged in the central part of the casing. In

order to force the airinto the interior of the drum through end walls 5 thereof, a flange 6 is arranged on each end wall 5 concentric with the axis of the drum and each of these flanges cooperates with a stationary close-fitting flange 7 fastened to the inner end of the casing. The closure effected in this manner prevents considerable quantities of air from passing around between the drum and casing, and directs the stream of air through the interior of the drum.

In the machine shown in Fig. I there are many more perforations in the central portionof drum 2, adjacent discharge pipe 4, than there are ad-' iacent the ends, so that the greatest volume of air leaves the drum at this place. The drum; which rotates slowly during the passage of the air, should be filled only a short distance above its axis with the articles to be cleaned so that the latter are continuously shifted during the rotation of the drum and continuously offer new surfaces to the stream of drying air. The cooling action produced by the evaporation of the solvent prevents the articles from being heated to a. high temperature even when the air enters the drum in a very hot state, so thatthere is no. danger of the hot air having an unfavorable influence on the articles which are being treated. I

ranged perforated intermediate walls 9. The articles to be cleaned are inserted into these compartments through openings 10 which are ar- .ranged in one end of the drum and are adapted to be closed by suitable covers. Entrance open,-

ings 1 1 for the stream of air are arranged in the other end of the drum around the main shaft which extends through the (111181. The stream of air is distributed to the three compartments of the drum by a perforated and inwardly curved sheet metal or other plate 12. An air chamber 14 surrounding the shaft and fastened to the end of stationary casing 13 is arranged opposite the air openings in the end of the drum. Air is introduced into chamber 14 through pipe 15 and the cylindrical open part of the chamber extending into the casing is closely surrounded by a flange 16 fastened to the end of the drum, so that practically the entire stream of air is guided from air chamber 14 into the drum. The air is discharged from the drum through the perforated cylindrical wall, the greater portion being discharged at they end adjacent filling openings 10 as this end contains many more perforations than the rest of the drum. The air therefore passes through the entire length of all three compartments of the drum before it is discharged from the machine through pipe 1'7. It will be evident that drum 8 may have more or less than three compartmentsif desired.

The drawing does not show parts of the cleaning plant which form no part of my invention, such as ventilators or other means for circulating the hot air, coolers, heaters, etc., as they may be employed in any one of the conventional forms. Neither have I shown all forms of my invention which is capable of various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

Also, it is possible to use a stream of any kind of'heated gas instead of hot air for removing the residues of the solvent and for drying the cleaned articles. The residues of such solvents as benzine, which form an explosive mixture with air, can be removed by an inert gas as carbon dioxide or nitrogen.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a rotatable perforated drum in said casing adapted to contain articles to be cleaned, means for passing air through one end of said drum into direct contact with said articles, and an outlet in said casing for discharging said air at a point remote from the inlet, said drum containing more closely spaced perforations in the region adjacent said outlet than in the rest of the surface.

2. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile-solvent, a rotatable drum in said casing having a perforated end and a perforated cylindrical wall and adapted to contain articles to be cleaned, an air opening in the end of opening and the interior of said drum, and a second air opening in said casing at a point remote from the first-mentioned air opening, said drum containing more closely spaced perforations in the region adjacent said second air opening than in the rest of its surface, whereby air may be passed into one. of said openings and discharged from the other opening after direct passage through said drum.

3. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like, comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a rotatable perforated drum in said casing adapted to contain articles to be cleaned, means for passing air into the interior of said drum, an outlet in said casing, the perforations in said drum adjacent said outlet having a greater effective discharge area P r unit of drum surface than that provided by the perforations in the rest of the surface. 7

4. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like, comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a. rotatable perforated drum in said casing, an air passage in said casing communicating with the interior of said drum, a second air passage in said casing remote from said first passage, said drum containing more closely spaced perforations in theregion adjacent said second passage than in the rest of its surface.

5. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like, comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a perforated'drum therein, means for passing air into said drum at both ends thereof, an outlet in said casing between said ends, the perforations in saiddrum adjacent said outlet having a greater efiective discharge area per unit of drum surface than that provided by the perforations in the rest of said surface.

6. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like; comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a rotatable perforated drum in said casing adapted to contain articles to be cleaned, means for passing air into said drum at both ends thereof, an air outlet in said casing substantially midway of said inlet means, said drumcontaining more closely spaced perforations'in the region adjacent said outlet than in the rest of its surface.

'1. Apparatus for chemically cleaning fabrics, textiles and the like, comprising a casing adapted to contain a volatile solvent, a rotatable perforated drum in said casing adapted to contain articles to be cleaned, means for passing air into GEORG WOLFF. 

